Navy's Second Fleet will allow ships, submarines and other assets to operate off Russian coast

Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, speaks during the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

Lieutenant Junior Grade Paul Tanenggee, center, and Petty Officer First Class David Mulholland, right, greet guests arriving at the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, speaks during the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

From left to right, Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis, commander of the U.S. second fleet, Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, and Admiral Chris Grady, commander of the U.S. fleet forces, talk after the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis, commander of the U.S. second fleet, left, and Admiral Chris Grady, commander of the U.S. fleet forces, right, salute as they prepare to leave the stage during the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, speaks during the Second Fleet Establishment Ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday, August 24, 2018. The re-established second fleet will take over control of naval assets in the North Atlantic to the west of Greenland. Alex Driehaus | The Virginian-Pilot▲

By Courtney Mabeus and Brock Vergakis
The Virginian-Pilot

Aug 24, 2018

NORFOLK

Ships, submarines and other assets assigned to the Navy’s newly re-established Second Fleet will be able to operate from the East Coast “all the way to the Barents Sea,” an area that extends the fleet’s playing field off the coast of Russia and into the backyard of one of U.S.’s top adversaries, the service’s top officer said Friday.

In a nod to emerging threats from Russia and China, the Navy officially reestablished its Second Fleet during a ceremony in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush at Naval Station Norfolk. Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said establishing the fleet increases the Navy’s agility in deterring and responding to threats in the region, allows it to develop new capabilities and enhances its alliance with NATO partners.

He insisted it should not be viewed as “posturing” for a fight.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said, citing President George Washington, who once said that being prepared for war is one of the most effective ways to preserve peace.

“We’re not looking for a fight but the best way to avoid a fight is to develop the most powerful and deadly and competitive Navy possible while strengthening our combined naval power in our alliances and expanding our maritime partnerships,” Richardson said. “So, if called upon, have no doubt, we’re not looking for a fight but if we need to, the Second Fleet will conduct decisive combat operations to defeat any enemy. They will be at the lead of those efforts.”

Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, a 1985 U.S. Naval Academy graduate who trained as a fighter jet pilot, will lead the Second Fleet.

The Navy first established the Second Fleet in 1950 as a Cold War answer to the emergence of the Soviet Union and responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the invasion of Grenada under President Ronald Reagan, and trained forces that for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Its elimination as a cost-saving measure in 2011 left the east coasts of the United States and Canada as the only part of the world where naval assets didn’t report to a numbered fleet.

Bringing the Second Fleet back to life also aligns with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis’ national defense strategy, which calls for a more-lethal, ready and agile military, and infuses more unpredictability for adversaries. It also frees up the the Navy’s Norfolk-based Fleet Forces Command to focus on other issues, including manning, training and equipping the entire fleet, which took on increased scrutiny in the wake of two deadly collisions involving U.S. warships in Asia. Davidson led the Navy’s comprehensive review of those incidents, which called for restructuring how the Navy operates.

In an interview after the ceremony, Richardson declined to describe specifics about what types of operations the Navy has been seeing from its competitors in the north Atlantic. Russia has been operating at peak levels that haven’t been seen in more than a quarter-century, he said.